Council rebuffs request to alter designation report. On July 19, 2006, the City Council approved the Weehawken Street Historic District and the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension, which together extended the Landmarks Law’s protections to an additional 59 buildings in the West Village. Landmarks had unanimously designated both districts on May 2, 2006. 3 CityLand 78 (June 15, 2006).

At the public hearing before the Council’s Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses, the resident and owner of 689 Washington Street, a house constructed in 1980 that emulates the neo-Georgian facades of surrounding historic homes, requested that her property be carved out of the district’s proposed boundaries. Alternatively, the owner asked that the designation report denote its modern construction date in order to allow Landmarks or other land use agencies some leeway in approving alterations. (more…)

Landmarks takes first step towards designation of new, 470-building historic district. On June 20, 2006, Landmarks voted to hold a public hearing on the proposed Crown Heights North Historic District, which will encompass 470 buildings, primarily along Dean and Pacific Streets; St. Mark’s, New York, Nostrand and Bedford Avenues; and Grand Square in Brooklyn.

At the June 20th vote, Landmarks staff provided a synopsis on the area’s transformation from farmland to the rapid row house construction that followed the Brooklyn Bridge’s opening. Among the buildings mentioned were the 1850-55 frame house on Dean Street, the Queen Anne style row houses at 1164-1182 Dean Street, and the New York Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church. (more…)

Landmarks designated two new individual landmarks. The 1886 Estey Piano Factory, at 112 Lincoln Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, is the oldest piano factory in New York, and the centerpiece of the once thriving industrial area. With its prominent clock tower, brick facade, and historical significance, the piano factory was roundly endorsed at the April 11 hearing. 3 CityLand 4 (May 15, 2006).

Landmarks also designated the Theodore F. and Elizabeth J. DeHart House, at 134 Main Street in Tottenville, on Staten Island’s southwest shore. The 1850-era clapboard cottage is called a “rare survivor of early Tottenville” in Landmarks’ designation report. Built originally by a member of the Totten family, the house was named for long-time resident Theodore F. DeHart, who was involved in the oyster trade. Supporters of designation included Council Member Andrew J. Lanza, the Historic Districts Council, the Tottenville Historical Society, and the Preservation League of Staten Island. The designation was supported unanimously by the Commissioners present. (more…)

Landmarks approved designation for 1929 Art Deco “wonder theater.” The interior of Loew’s Paradise Theater, at 2405-2419 Grand Concourse in the Fordham area of the Bronx, was designated by Landmarks on May 16, 2006. The 1929 theater was designed by architect John Eberson, the inventor of what were called “wonder theaters” that featured artificial trees and birds and a machine that simulated clouds shifting on the ceiling. One of five such theaters built by Loew’s, the Paradise was meant to evoke the feeling of being outdoors in the courtyard of a Renaissance Italian palace. The wood paneled lobby contained ornate gilt ironwork and painted murals, while the auditorium itself featured extensive plaster statuary, chandeliers and marble pillars. The auditorium could accommodate an audience of up to 4,000. In addition to movies, live acts like Bob Hope and the Metropolitan Opera graced its stage.

The Paradise was converted into a multiplex in 1973, before closing its doors in 1994. The building’s exterior was landmarked in 1997, but fire damaged the interior in the late 1990s. At one point the owners proposed converting the building into a shopping center, an alteration that would have entailed covering the plaster details with sheetrock. In 2003, a new owner acquired the Paradise and reversed many of the alterations, restoring much of the original luster. The Paradise was reopened as an entertainment venue in 2005. (more…)

Facility to provide housing for low-income mentally ill. City Council approved the Planning Commission’s resolution adopted on September 8, 2004, allowing the construction of a six-story building with 50 units for low-income persons with mental illnesses. The Council’s action authorized the designation of an Urban Development Action Area and the transfer of six properties of City-owned land.

The project site, which is to be developed under the New York State office of Mental Health, is located on the north side of East 123rd Street between Park and Lexington Avenues in East Harlem. The site is part of the Park Avenue Urban Renewal Plan and comprises six City-owned properties totaling 1 0,000 sq.ft. Currently, the site contains underutilized vacant land and a vacant one-story garage, which will be demolished. (more…)